


Bound

by breakofday



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Ri brothers family feels, being poor sucks, dori tries to be dad, kili won't shut his big dumb mouth, nori thinks that's a dumb idea, ori just wants his brothers to get along, starving is worse than stealing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-19
Updated: 2014-01-22
Packaged: 2017-12-27 02:09:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/973045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breakofday/pseuds/breakofday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dori decides it's time that Nori find somewhere else to live, Ori has a difficult time coming to terms with losing his brother. With his self-confidence already dangerously low, Ori refuses to let go of one of his very few friends. Will defying Dori make him realize that he's no longer a child, or will it only worsen their tenuous family relationship?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so this is going to be a short one. I meant for this to just be a quick little drabble and Ori wanted to go other places, so I'm letting him do this thing and it may take a few chapters for him to work things out. Probably won't be more than 5 chapters, assuming I even get that far.
> 
> I've never actually written something with Ori before, but after I wrote out a Bifur I figured hey, Ori can't be too hard, he's just the same as me! Turns out he's freaking adorable and Nori is super cool.
> 
> But ladies and gentleman, I present to you, Ori!

Dori and Nori have another fight.

 

Ori listens from the bedroom he shares with Nori, ear pressed to the door and his knees pulled up to his chest. It’s bad this time, worse than normal, and Ori presses his overly large sleeve over his mouth to muffle the sound of his harsh breathing and quiet crying. He hates it when they get like this.

 

“You’re corrupting Ori,” Dori declares. “I’ve been trying to keep this family afloat and respectable, and you go and decide to steal things and teach him that it’s alright to be a thief and a liar. I don’t want you in this house anymore. You can pack your bags tonight, and I don’t want to see you any more after that.”

 

Ori gasps, but luckily the sound is suppressed by the sleeve. He trembles, closing his eyes. _No, please don’t send Nori away…_

 

“I steal _for_  Ori!” Nori roars. He sounds angrier than Ori’s ever heard him. “Send me away and all that will happen is that you’ll _starve_ , but at least you’ll be r _espectable_  as you’re dying!”

 

Dori says something that Ori can’t make out, and it seems to frustrate Nori even more.

 

“Do you even _care_  about him?” he spits, and Ori shivers, wishing they would just stop and get along. “I may be a thief, but at least I’m an honest one. We’ll see how much your blooming _pride_  helps when Ori’s starving and no one will spare you even a crumb to save him!”

 

The creaking of wood is a sure sign Nori’s stomping up to the bedroom, and Ori scrambles to his feet to quickly lie down in his bed and pretend he wasn’t listening. The door swings open and slams shut, and Ori can hear Nori cursing softly under his breath.

 

There’s a creak as Nori sits down on the edge of Ori’s mattress. “...I know you’ve been listening, Ori. You can stop pretending to be asleep.”

 

The young dwarf rolls over then and looks up at Nori. His lip is quivering, tears welling up in golden-brown eyes. Nori sighs softly and pulls Ori into a hug, knocking their foreheads lightly together.

 

“A-are you leaving?” Ori asks tremulously, fingers curling in Nori’s front. “I don’t want you to go.”

 

Nori sighs and closes his eyes, giving a short nod. “It’ll be better for you without Dori and I fighting all the time.”

 

A sob bursts from the younger dwarf and he shakes his head furiously, looking down. “Please stay, _please_.”

 

“Ori…” Nori gives up and just pulls Ori closer, feeling his younger brother sob into his shoulder. _This isn’t fair for him,_  Nori reflects sadly. _We’re all we’ve got left. Ori doesn’t even remember our mother._

 

Eventually, the tears stop and Ori pulls away, sniffling.

 

“Go to sleep, lad,” Nori tells him gently, and ruffles his auburn hair. “I’ll wake you up before I leave.”

 

Ori nods and bites his lip, and before he can lose heart, he blurts the words out. “I love you, Nori.”

 

Nori just smiles sadly. “I know.”

 

oOo

 

“Ori? What are you doing here?”

 

Ori looks up from his tankard to see Fili and Kili headed towards his table. Nori was gone and the consequent shouting match between Ori and Dori this time had resulted in the youngest Ri brother retiring to the tavern to drink away his sorrows.

 

“Sitting,” Ori replies a bit sulkily, clutching his tankard tighter in case one of his friends tried to pull it away from him.

 

“Aye, we can see that much.” Kili slides into the seat across from Ori, followed a moment later by his brother.

 

Fili leans in across the table, concern on his face. “What happened, Ori? This isn’t like you.”

 

Ori gives a sad little shrug. “Dori kicked Nori out,” he mumbles. “He’s not allowed to come back anymore.”

 

“What?” Kili is all righteous indignation on his friend’s behalf. “Why?”

 

Ori lets out a deep sigh and finishes off his ale, setting it back down on the table. “Because Nori’s a thief and Dori thinks he’s ruining the family reputation,” he replies flatly. Mentioning how Nori was supposedly corrupting him wouldn’t do any good, and honestly that part embarrasses Ori more than anything, so he keeps quiet on that.

 

“That’s ridiculous!” Kili is as loud as ever, scowling fiercely. “Fili and I nick stuff all the time!”

 

Fili gives his brother a warning look and rests a hand lightly on his arm. Kili has the good graces to color slightly in embarrassment and murmur an apology to Fili. This time when he speaks again, his voice is quieter.

 

“My point is, sometimes you have to, right? When there’s not enough to eat and game’s scarce, things like that,” Kili points out, this time more softly. “Nori’s doing the same thing, isn’t he?”

 

Ori shrugs his shoulders. “Mostly,” he agrees glumly. “But Dori won’t have it.”

 

“Maybe Dori’s wrong,” Fili speaks up, and Ori’s head jerks up in surprise.

 

“What do you mean?” he asks cautiously.

 

Kili grins. “You should run away. Go with Nori. Maybe then Dori will realize he’s being unfair.”

 

Ori looks appalled at that, covering his mouth with his sleeve. “I _can’t_ , I’d be in so much trouble.”

 

Fili sighs a bit and looks to Kili, who shrugs and speaks what both brothers are thinking. “Come on, Ori. You’re old enough to make decisions for yourself. Dori can’t control you, even if he thinks he can.” Kili glances over to his brother and gets to his feet. “Drinks on me this round, but you’re buying for the next.”

 

Fili replies in the affirmative and Kili goes up to the bar. Ori sighs, staring into his empty tankard before looking back up at Fili.

 

“Do you really think I should run away?” he asks, his voice small and frightened

 

Fili leans back in his seat and considers for a moment or two. “I think you should do what you think is right,” he says finally. “But Kili is right about one thing. No one can control you. Don’t let anyone have that power over you. You’re a free dwarf. The only person that should be able to command you is yourself.” He pauses for a moment, thoughtful. “And Thorin, I suppose, since he’s king.”

 

Ori nods quietly, lapsing into silence. Fili seems just fine with letting Ori have his moment and lights up his pipe, leaning against the wall and smoking contentedly. It stays relatively peaceful, at least until Kili returns with drinks not just for himself and his brother, but for Ori too.

 

Between Fili, Kili, and the ale, Ori cheers up considerably, completely forgetting about his woes in light of lewd jokes and drinking contests and demonstrating his belching for his friends. Soon all three of them are roaring with laughter and pleasantly buzzed. A few hours after nightfall, however, Thorin comes to fetch his nephews, and they part ways for the night.

 

They say alcohol is liquid courage, and Ori supposes that must be true to some extent, because the dark just doesn’t seem to bother him as much as it should and he’s a little less cautious than he would be normally. Humming to himself, he walks fearlessly through the shabby collection of homes built by the poorer dwarves.

 

He really should have known better, after all the scoldings from Dori and warnings from Nori. But somehow it still takes the poor dwarf completely by surprise when he rounds a corner and walks right into a cluster of ragged dwarves. One catches him from behind and presses a blade against his throat, and Ori whimpers, eyes widening in fear and surprise.

 

“Hand over all the valuables you’ve got,” growls a rough voice in his ear.

 

Ori swallows. “I-I don’t have any,” he whispers, terrified.

 

The knife presses harder, drawing blood. “Don’t lie to me, kid. We saw you with the princes.”

 

“Wh-what?” Ori stammers, staring around at the menacing dwarves. He feels smaller than ever, helpless, afraid. His vision isn’t the best at the moment and his chances of running away and making it are slim. “N-no, they’re my cousins!”

 

At some point along the line, anyway. No one was terribly clear of the lineage, unsurprising as all three of the Ri brothers were technically bastards.

 

His answer, however, did nothing to appease the dwarves. Naturally. He wasn’t even sure what he’d been trying to say. Ori’s tossed roughly to the ground as the group closes in a circle around him.

 

“P-please, I _don’t have anything_!”

 

He cries out as the first boot slams hard into his ribcage, only to be followed by a barrage of blows all over. Ori sobs openly, curling up in a ball against the attack and trying to defend himself, but there’s nothing he can do. He’s always been the weakest one, the one that needs protecting, and even now, it seems, that stands true.

 

Ori’s shivering, his vision swimming, when he hears the shout. It’s hard to think clearly; he’s taken a blow or two to the head and he’s barely even conscious. There’s yelling and Ori can’t quite make out the words, instead focused on his own pain and remembering how to breathe.

 

Someone pulls him to his feet and Ori cowers, tears streaming freely down his face. His eyes stay closed tight and he tries to speak, to whisper that he doesn’t have anything, please… _don’t hurt me_...

 

“Ori, it’s me, you're safe now.”

 

Ori opens his eyes.

 

“ _Nori_.”

 

And faints.

 


	2. Chapter 2

_It’s a good thing Ori’s still a little undersized for a dwarf,_  Nori thinks to himself as he hoists Ori over his shoulder with a grunt. The poor kid’s out cold, probably will be for a few hours, judging by the heavy stench of alcohol on him. Nori sighs and trudges silently down the street.

 

He can’t go back to Dori. He flat out refuses to see his older brother after the fight they had, after letting Ori wander around _alone_  after dark. But he has to get Ori somewhere safe. His heart aches to hear his younger brother’s ragged breathing, no doubt in part to the injuries he’s sustained.

 

So where can he go?

 

Nori’s immediate thought is of Dis, Thorin’s sister and a friend of the Ri brothers. Ori’s grown up playing with her boys; surely they can spare a bit of floor space for Nori and Ori tonight. The thief sighs and changes direction, staggering a bit under Ori’s dead weight.

 

Luckily most the homes are fairly close to each other, and it doesn’t take too long to get to the household of the royal line of Durin. Hesitating only for a moment, Nori knocks on the door.

 

He hates asking for help, but it’s for Ori’s sake.

 

The door creaks open just a little, and Dis pokes her head out, her dark hair and beard now just barely showing hints of grey. Nori gives a tight smile.

 

“Ori’s hurt and drunk and Dori’s kicked me out. Would it be alright if we stayed the night?” he asks, swallowing nervously.

 

Dis’ eyes widen slightly as she takes in the sight and immediately opens her door wider. “Of course, come in,” she agrees smoothly. ”Both of my boys are in Fili’s room tonight; you two can take Kili’s.”

 

Nori gives her a nod in thanks, carefully carrying Ori inside. Thorin is sitting in front of the fire and Nori swallows. There’s something about the king that just makes him nervous. Thorin raises an eyebrow at Dis after Nori passes and she just shakes her head, leading the younger dwarves to Kili’s bedroom.

 

“What happened?” Dis asks as Nori carefully lays Ori down on the bed. There’s a bruise swelling on his cheekbone and his clothes are torn, no doubt hiding more bruises underneath. Nori sets to stripping off his younger brother’s shirt to get a good look at the damage.

 

“A couple of thugs cornered him,” Nori murmurs almost distractedly. “I’ve _told_  him not to go down that way when it’s dark…”

 

Ori’s shirt is pushed open and Dis sucks in a quiet breath at the bruising across his chest. Nori is gentle as he prods lightly, looking for broken ribs, but Ori whimpers and gold-brown eyes flutter open, confused and pained.

 

“...N-Nori?” he whispers, and Nori looks up from his work.

 

“Go back to sleep,” he says softly, and clasps Ori’s hand briefly. “I’m taking care of you. Everything will be alright.”

 

Dis steps back just a little, allowing the brothers to have a brief moment before Ori’s eyes roll back in his head and he slips into unconsciousness again.  Nori’s expression is stony, hiding the worry for his brother.

 

“Nothing broken, at least,” Nori finally announces, and glances back at Dis. “But his ribs should probably be wrapped all the same. He’ll be in a lot of pain come morning.”

 

Dis watches him and gives a quiet nod, but her thoughts are somewhere else. “Where did you learn all this?” she asks quietly, and the younger dwarf shrugs.

 

“When you get into enough fights, you learn how to take care of yourself,” he murmurs in response, and Dis’ expression changes to understanding.

 

“What else do you need?”

 

Nori gives her a tense, grateful smile. “If you have any water, that would help. And something cold to help bring down the swelling.”

 

“Of course.” Dis nods, resting a hand briefly on Nori’s shoulder to squeeze lightly before leaving.

 

He lets out a quiet sigh of relief and sits down next to his brother, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind his ears. “Sorry, Ori,” he murmurs softly to him.

 

He had every intention of making sure Ori was taken care of and then leaving, but now, sitting here beside his brother, knowing Ori was hurt and that he’d be so confused if Nori left him without an explanation...he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to leave. _Just a few more days,_  he decides, _then I’ll leave._

 

oOo

 

Waking up is a slow, rather agonizing process for Ori. He takes things in slowly, one at a time. First is the sound of voices nearby, slightly muffled. After sound comes sensation, and Ori’s fingers curl into the bed beneath him as he takes stock of the throbbing all over his body, mostly his left eye and his chest. He groans and rolls onto his side, but that only awakens a flare of pain and the sick feeling in his stomach from drinking too much. For a moment, he worries he’s going to vomit, but the nausea passes and he lies still, breathing shallowly through his mouth.

 

Finally comes the recollection. Nori leaving, the night spent drinking too much with Fili and Kili, then the starving dwarves on the street that had beat him until finally, it had stopped, Nori’s face had swam in front of him, and then it was all black from there.

 

Ori opens his eyes (or rather, one eye; the other is too swollen to open properly) at the sound of a door creaking open to find himself in a somewhat unfamiliar environment with a very familiar dwarf approaching.

 

“Nori--”

 

What’s meant to come out as an excited exclamation just sounds raw and tired and makes Ori’s throat and chest hurt. His brother smiles faintly and closes the door behind him.

 

“You’re awake,” Nori says as he crosses the room, relief almost palpable in his voice.  He sits down on the edge of the bed. “Good. How do you feel?”

 

Ori has to consider that for a few moments. What’s the best way to sum up exactly how he’s feeling at the moment? “Not...good,” he finally croaks, and Nori chuckles, giving Ori’s auburn hair a little ruffle.

 

“You’ll be fine,” he tells him. Ori just sighs and closes his one good eye.

 

“Where are we?” he asks his older brother after a moment.

 

There’s a short pause. “I didn’t know where else to take you,” Nori says softly. “We’re at Dis’ place. With Fili and Kili, and the king.”

 

Ori’s eyes open, lips forming a silent “oh” of surprise. And then comes a look of worry. “Dori doesn’t know, does he? Oh, he’ll be _furious_ \--” He makes to sit up, but Nori pushes him back down.

 

“Let me handle that.” Nori’s voice is firm. “You need to just focus on resting and getting better, alright?”

 

Ori hesitates a moment before finally nodding. “How long will you stay?” His voice is small. He wants to hope Nori won’t leave at all, but it would hurt even more when he inevitably does. Nori seems to pick up on that.

 

“I don’t know yet,” he admits. “Not long, I think. Until you’re back on your feet, at least.”

 

There’s a nod from the younger dwarf. “I thought you were going to leave yesterday morning.”

 

“Me too,” Nori replies. “But there was something I had to take care of. And lucky I did, or I wouldn’t have been there when you needed me.”

 

“All the same…” Ori opens his eye again and gives Nori the brightest smile he can muster. “Thank you.”

 

Nori chuckles and ruffles his brother’s hair. “No need to thank me, pebble. You rest up now, hear? I’m going to go talk to Dori, but I’ll be back.”

 

Ori frowns slightly. “Alright, but tell him I said not to hurt you and I’m sorry.”

 

Nori makes a face. “You’ve got no reason to be sorry.”

 

The younger dwarf just sighs and shrugs, wincing a little. Nori hesitates at the door. “I’ll send Dis in, shall I?”

 

Ori nods and the thief slips quietly out of the room, shutting the door behind him.


End file.
